Paul A. Eisenstein: Safety sells when it comes to cars these days

Monday

There’s an old adage among automotive markets that “safety doesn’t sell.” But these days, you’d have a hard time convincing consumers.

There’s an old adage among automotive markets that “safety doesn’t sell.” But these days, you’d have a hard time convincing consumers.

Watch the typical TV car ad and it’s as likely to talk about airbags as performance or even fuel economy, and manufacturers are pushing the engineering envelope hoping to come up with a competitive edge, suggests Ford Motor Co.’s “safety czar” Sue Cischke.

The Detroit maker may have come up with that edge in the form of a new inflatable seatbelt that will begin appearing on Ford’s next-generation Explorer SUV when it launches in mid-2010 and which will eventually roll out globally, promised Cischke.

She suggested the inflatable seatbelt system, which will be placed in the sport-utility vehicle’s back row, will not only enhance the safety of both young and elderly back-seat passengers, who tend to have disproportionate rates of accident injuries, but also give Ford a distinct marketing advantage.

Automotive safety has come a long way since the first lap belts became mandatory in the United States back in the 1960s, says Samir Salman, CEO of Continental Corp., the U.S. subsidiary of the giant German automotive supplier.

Today’s safety technology comes in a variety of different forms. First, there’s the basic structures of today’s cars, trucks and crossovers, which are intentionally designed to absorb crash forces, effectively cocooning passengers.

The most advanced vehicles are outfitted with an assortment of active safety systems – such as blind spot warning systems -- designed to prevent crashes, and passive devices, like airbags, to reduce injuries if an accident does occur.

The payoff is obvious. As recently as 2005, 43,000 Americans were killed in highway accidents. This year, the current “run rate,” says Salman, is closer to 35,000, “and we haven’t even started with technology.”

The newest breakthroughs rely on laser or radar systems that allow digital safety systems to see the world around them. The 2010 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, for one, uses a high-frequency radar transceiver to scan the road ahead for potential obstacles, which could be a tree, a deer or another car. This also allows the car’s active cruise control to maintain a safe distance and even come to a brief stop if traffic slows or comes to a halt.

What’s next? In Europe, the latest BMW 7-Series sedan can spot traffic signs, such as speed-limit warnings, alerting the driver. Volvo’s “City Safe” can bring a car to a quick stop if a distracted driver misses a potential collision. Ford, meanwhile, is using a new, lower-cost radar unit to help drivers of the 2010 Taurus spot oncoming traffic when they back out of a space, say, in a busy shopping center parking lot.

Some contend the ultimate goal is to create an autonomous vehicle, one that takes over the driving completely. The European Union has just launched a program, dubbed Project SARTRE, which will eventually allow specially equipped test vehicles to convoy down the highway only a few feet off each other’s bumpers. Whether the technology will work is only part of the challenge. The other issue is whether motorists will accept the idea of handing over control to their cars.

Paul A. Eisenstein is an award-winning journalist who has spent more than 30 years covering the global auto industry. His work appears in a wide range of publications worldwide, and he is a frequent broadcast commentator on subjects automotive.

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